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Saturday, 4 November 2017

BEIRUT, LEBANON (12:40 A.M.) – The Israeli-backed jihadists of Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham suffered a large number of casualties during their failed offensive in the Golan Heights region of the Al-Quneitra Governorate, Friday, a Syrian Arab Army (SAA) source told Al-Masdar News.

Initially, the Al-Qaeda linked terrorist group managed to seize several hilltops and checkpoints west of Hader, a government stronghold near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights border.

However, Syrian Army reinforcements arrived before nightfall on Friday to help recover the areas they lost in the Golan Heights earlier in the day.

According to a military source, the Syrian Arab Army has recaptured all of the sites they lost, including the strategic hilltops of Tal Al-Harrah and Qars Al-Nafl.

Pro-government activists in the Golan Heights released several images of dead HTS jihadists near the strategic town of Hader:

A military source told Al-Masdar News that 16 soldiers from Syrian Army and National Defense Forces (NDF) were killed during the jihadist assault.

The total number of jihadists killed during the attack is still unknown; however, it is estimated between 20 and 30.

On Friday, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and the local National Defense Forces (NDF) repelled a wide-scale attack of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (formerly Jabhat al-Nusra, the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda) and the Free Syrian Army (FSA) in Hadar town north of the Golan Heights.

Hadar is one of the biggest Druze towns in southern Syria.

Hay’at Tahrir al-Sgham (HTS) and its allies launched their military operation to break the SAA siege on Beit Jinn town in the Western Ghouta region and advanced along the separation line between Syrian and Israeli forces. HTS fighters captured many position south and southwest of Hadar town immediately.

However, the SAA and the NDF quickly launched a counter-attack and recaptured almost all positions including Qurs al-Nafla Hill, according to local sources from Hadar town. However, the al-Hurah position northeast of Hadar is still under HTS control.

During the attack, HTS targeted the northern district of Hadar town with two VBIEDs. According to local sources, over 23 civilians were killed or injured in the VBIEDs attack.

Syrian pro-government sources said that 10 fighters of the NDF were killed while they were repelling HTS attack. HTS lost at least 8 fighters including Sael Hassan al-Aiytah, a commander of this operation.

As a result of the attack, hundreds of Druze civilians in the Israeli-held Druze villages in the Golan Heights protested against the Israeli support for HTS and the FSA in Syria. The protestors accused Israel of supporting the ongoing attack on Hadar town. The Israeli Army evacuated several injured HTS fighters to hospitals inside Israel.

The protestors even attempted to cross into Syria to aid the local NDF fighters in Hadar town. However, the Israeli Army blocked the way and fired shots in the air to force the protestors to retreat.

The Lebanese al-Manar TV channel reported that several Druze protestors were injured, and even some killed by the Israeli Army while they were trying to cross into Syria. This report is yet to be confirmed.

From its side, Major Avichay Adraee spokesperson of the Israel Army denied that Israel supported the HTS attack on Hadar town. Major Adraee stressed that the Israeli Army is committed to protect Syrian Druze in Hadar town.

“The Defense Force [Israeli Army] is ready to support the town’s [Hadar] locals, and will forbid harming them or occupying the town due to its commitment towards the Druze sect,” Major Adraee said on Twitter.

However, local activists from Hadar confirmed that the Israeli Army played a key role in the HTS attack on Hadar town. According to the activists, the HTS fighters and two VBIEDs reached Hadar through the Separation of Forces Line that’s now controlled only by the Israeli Army.

The local activists even published photos that shows HTS fighters hiding right under the Israeli Army fortification on the Separation of Forces Line after the attack failed.